So just when we're needed the most, a chunk of us are contemplating bailing. I must admit to having (briefly) considered this option last year. Not leaving the business, of course, just the health insurance side of it. Eventually, I abandoned that plan, but I know that quite a few others did decide to pull the plug (and several have been referring their health insurance clients and prospects my way, which is nice). Still, I'll need to make time soon to re-certify for the Exchange, which means another half-day on a .gov site that's barely navigable.

And this news comes as we learn that "45 percent of companies surveyed said they plan to increase their reliance on brokers ... when making changes to their employee health plans." So, a lot of potentially disappointed, and frustrated, small business owners.

The other (bigger) problem, of course, is the plight of individuals trying to navigate (Heh) the Exchanges (both public and private) by themselves. Although the ObamaTax was sold as a means to simplify consumer choice, it's really had the opposite effect. People have questions about subsidies, and plan designs, and networks, and they're not getting answers from the 404Care.gov folks.

So just when we're needed the most, a chunk of us are contemplating bailing. I must admit to having (briefly) considered this option last year. Not leaving the business, of course, just the health insurance side of it. Eventually, I abandoned that plan, but I know that quite a few others did decide to pull the plug (and several have been referring their health insurance clients and prospects my way, which is nice). Still, I'll need to make time soon to re-certify for the Exchange, which means another half-day on a .gov site that's barely navigable.

And this news comes as we learn that "45 percent of companies surveyed said they plan to increase their reliance on brokers ... when making changes to their employee health plans." So, a lot of potentially disappointed, and frustrated, small business owners.

The other (bigger) problem, of course, is the plight of individuals trying to navigate (Heh) the Exchanges (both public and private) by themselves. Although the ObamaTax was sold as a means to simplify consumer choice, it's really had the opposite effect. People have questions about subsidies, and plan designs, and networks, and they're not getting answers from the 404Care.gov folks.